19-year-old Elvis Luciano becomes the first player born in the 21st century to appear in a major league game when he makes his debut for the Blue Jays against the Tigers. Never having pitched above Rookie-class before this season, he allows just 1 hit in 1 1/3 inning in a successful outing. This coincides with the last two players who were active in the previous century, Adrian Beltre and Bartolo Colon, both being out of the majors as a page has clearly turned.

2019 – In a very rare occurrence, position players take the mound for both teams in the Dodgers’ 18 – 5 win over the Diamondbacks. The two teams’ bullpens are worn out after playing a 13-inning game the previous night, so with a large deficit in the 7th, Arizona sends back-up catcher John Ryan Murphy to pitch, and he gives up 7 more runs in 2 innings. The Dodgers then ask their own back-up catcher, Russell Martin, to close out the win in the 9th, and he obliges by setting down the side on 10 pitches.

2019 – In his second game as a member of the Cardinals, Paul Goldschmidt has 4 hits including 3 homers, and drives in 5 runs to lead his team to a 9 – 5 win over the Brewers. He comes up to bat again with a chance at a four-homer game in the 9th, but the Brewers walk him intentionally with one out and a runner on second base.

2019 – It’s Opening Day across Major League Baseball as all 30 teams are active, one week after a preliminary two-game opening series in Japan. A record number of homers are hit today – 48 across the majors. Leading the charge are the Dodgers, who hit an opening day record 8 long balls in their 12 – 5 win over the Diamondbacks.

2019 – This spring’s trend of major league teams locking up key players with long-term deals continues. Following recent extensions granted to Mike Trout, Chris Sale and Justin Verlander, among others, today the Mets agree to a five-year extension with ace P Jacob deGrom for $137.5 million, while the Cubs ink Kyle Hendricks until 2023 for an extra $55.5 million.

2019 – The Mariners complete a season-opening two-game sweep of their opening series against the Athletics at the Tokyo Dome with a 5 – 4 win in 12 innings in the second game. Domingo Santana, whose grand slam was the decisive blow in the first game yesterday, beats out a potential double play grounder to drive in the winning run. Ichiro Suzuki goes 0 for 4 as Seattle’s right fielder, then leaves after the 8th inning. He announces after the game that he will now retire from baseball for good.

2019 – The Major League season opens at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan, with the A’s hosting the Mariners in the first game of a two-game series. While most of the early attention is directed at 45-year-old Ichiro Suzuki, who starts in right field for Seattle, it’s the sluggers who define the game as the Mariners prevail, 9 – 7. Stephen Piscotty, Khris Davis and Matt Chapman all homer for Oakland, but the M’s reply with long balls by Domingo Santana – a grand slam – and Tim Beckham. Marco Gonzales pitches 6 innings for the win.

2019 – The Angels sign OF Mike Trout to a ten-year extension that will pay him $426.5 million through 2030. This represents the largest contract ever and just about ensures that the greatest player in franchise history will spend his entire career as an Angel.

2019 – The two-act opera “The Fix”, composed by Joel Puckett, has its premiere at the Minnesota Opera in St. Paul, MN. It is inspired by events around the Black Sox Scandal, which marks its 100th anniversary this year.